Which wash for tanks?

[Deleted]

Hi All,

I really like the Army Painter dip - for figures. But every time I use it on tanks, no matter how long I leave it to dry, it cracks & bubbles when I varnish it with Matt. I've tried the Army Painter, Citadel Purity Spray & Dullcote paint on lacquer - all end up cracking.

I've come to the conclusion that the dip is good for figures, but anywhere that there is a large area of it (flat bits on vehicles) it seems to react with any varnish.

What do you guys use for washes on vehicles?

Cheers,

Chalky

[wikkid]

Hi D.

I would suggest using Pledge multi surface wax (also know as Klear) as a sealant before washing . This gives a very glossy finish which helps when using a pin wash. When finished painting and washing etc I recommend Testers Dull Cote. Take a look at the YouTube tutorials by Scale Model Medic, very useful and inspirational.

www.youtube.com/user/ScaleModelMedic

M

[Mr. Harold]

I use the army painter strong tone (brown) and dark tone (black) brush on for my vehicles...

[Deleted]

What do you varnish over with, as per my first post- it just cracks & crazes when I varnish it - I've used Army Painter Matt Spray, Citadel Purity Spray & Dullcote brush on lacquer. Figures are fine, tanks are not.

I'm wondering if the Vallejo Acrylic Shade might be a better option for the tanks as the Army Painter is cursed....

C

[Mr. Harold]

I've never had that problem.

Is it too humid when you're using the varnish? It also sounds like maybe the varnish is too thick. Do you have a picture of what happens?



This this tank I primed with a testors light grey, then I brush (heavily) army painter strong tone all over the thing, then I put the decals on, then I lightly sprayed Testors dullcote over it.

I don't think i've seen cracks on mine before, only hazing when it goes bad...

[Deleted]

I'll take a picture of it. Not sure about the humidity as I did my infantry first & they were OK. Sprayed it lightly on the tank & it "crackles".

Pic to follow...

[papabees]

Are you saying you sprayed the quick shade on? If so how did you do it? Airbrush, Can, etc?

[Deleted]

No, painted the Quickshade on & left it to dry for 3 days, sprayed the Matt Varnish on, infantry and tank, and it crackled on the tank. So far it's happened on every tank I've used the Quickshade on, troops have been fine. It's happened to other people according to "Google", no real explanation for it. I'm just after a another solution that doesn't depend on Humidity, position of the moon in the sky etc. for vehicles. Infantry are fine with it.

C

[inrepose]

I think the GW washes work OK for me.

[papabees]

OK. What brand of Matt Varnish are you using?

[Deleted]

As per Post #1, I've tried Army Painter Matt Spray, GW Purity Spray & Testors Dullcote paint on laquer. I've tried them on hot, cold & inclement days.

I'm going to experiment with some old vehicles until I find out what the secret is....

C

[papabees]

You might try this. Before you quickshade the tank attache the various parts to nails. Rather than paint the quickshade on completely submerse the vehicle in it. Attached the nail to a power drill. Spin the model to let the centrifugal force throw off the excess shade. Stick the nail in the styrofoam to let dry. It could be that in certain aras your shade has been so thick that it is not fully dry. Using this method makes for a pretty thin layer which speeds up drying time.

[inrepose]

I used Testors Dull-coat for my matt varnish. Nothing to do with the quality of the result, it just smells good! Actually I do trust it to give me a really matt solid finish but it is expensive for the small can.

[Mr. Harold]

I agree with the testors as well, it's one of the few matte varnishes i've never really had a problem with.

[ollie]

I have had the same problem on my COG vehicles. I havn't done it enough to know if it is allways sucsesful but when I've only lightly varnished it doesn't seem to buble and flake. Seeing as Quickshade allready protects it a bit I don't think it needs a strong varnish just a mat varnish afterwoods to take of the sheen.


Ollie